Game apparatus



GENSBURG 2,003,356

GAME APPARATUS Filed May 23. 1934 Jnrg i INVENTOR.

Myer Gensbury MIT/KAI? c4 9 ms ATTORNEY the board to and upon the Patented June 4, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GAME APPARATUS Myer Gensburg, Chicago, 111. Application May 23, 1934, Serial No. 727,033 3 Claims. (o1.-27s- -119) This invention relates to; certain novel improvements in game apparatus and has for its princi-: pal object the provision of an improved structure of this character which will be highly efiicient in 1 use and economical in manufacture.

I Among the several objects of; the invention is to provide a simple and expeditious means which functions and operates as a ball stop.

' The invention is especially designed and adapted to be associated with game apparatus known as coin controlled pin games wherein there is embodied an inclined game board upon which balls are adapted to gravitate and whichballs are projected through a ramp on one sideof game board for said gravitation.

The invention is designed and adapted to permit but one ball at a time to be projectedthrough and along the ramp upon and over the game board. e

Other objects will appear The invention consists in her nait i scribed and claimed.

re e h r w n .i' mi sa pa t ofzt sis p li a llus atin a peri et d; embodiment" h inv n, nd, w ich F le-, is a p p. a, apparatus illustrating my invention assogiated erewith;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the game apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1 showing my invention associated therewith;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional detailed view of the same taken substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional detailed view taken substantially on line 4-4 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 shows a ball returning to projecting position (as in cases when the ball has not had enough momentum to enter the playing field).

Referring now more particularly to the drawing a conventional game apparatus is therein illustrated and this game apparatus includes a cabinet l0, having associated therewith a game or play board H which is arranged beneath a glass top 12 on this game and balls I3 are adapted to be projected onto the inclined playing board l2 for gravitation thereupon. This projection of the balls upon the game or play board II is accomplished through the medium of any conventional type of projecting device M in which there is embodied a suitable plunger I5. This projecting device I4 is adapted to proh ombina on and. arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully de-" an v w; of a conve tio al s me" the medium of. suitable elevating" mechanism (not shown) operable-in a ball ejecting groove l-l communicating with the ramp it as shown-in Fig. 2.

In playingthe game it occasionally results that more than one ball is brought into project- 111% position through and by the medium of the. elevating mechanism and consequently by oper-' ation of the plunger [5 all the balls thus elevatedinto projecting position are. projected through andalong the ramp [6; My invention preferably has reference to preventing all the balls thus elevated to theramp from being projected upon the play board at one time.

In this connection, and to accomplish this as well asother objects of the invention, I'provide a plate 18 the longitudinal edge portion is of. which is secured to a wall 20 of the ramp through. the medium of suitable connecting or securing elements indicated at 2!. This plate is disposed insubstantially a horizontal posi-. tion over and transversely of the ramp at a predetermined point forwardly of the innermost end of the piston I5. The plate 18 at its medial por-( tion 22 is provided. with a substantiallyrectam gular slot 23 for reasons which will be hereine atter more apparent. This plate adjacent this. slot, ou -opposite sides thereof is provided with dependingears 24 which support a transversely extending pin 25.

The ball stop is preferably though not necessarily formed of a length of wire bent to provide intermediate coils 28 through which the pin 25 projects. Extending from these coils are parallel fingers 26 which normally are disposed vertically with respect to the plate l8 in the path of movement of the balls through the ramp. The medial portion 21 of this wire length is substantially U shaped and is disposed substantially at right angles with respect to the fingers 26 for passage through the slot 23 to allow a ball moving along the ramp toward the piston 15 to be reprojected upon the play board.

Fig. 4 illustrates the movement of a ball to operate the ball stop to assure passage of the 7 direction to dispose the a stop to prevent another ball which might be disposed in the ramp from moving immediately along the ramp behind the preceding ball.

In the event that the ball does not leave the ramp and rolls backwardly therein the ball will engage the fingers 26 and pivot the same in an opposite direction and this pivotal movement of the fingers is permitted by virtue of the fact that the U shaped medial portion 21 of the ball stop will pivot upwardly through the slot 23.

From this it will be apparent that in the course, of playing the game should the player accidentally elevate more than one ball into pro-' jecting position the ball stop just previously described will prevent both balls from being simultaneously projected upon the play board.

While I have illustrated and described the perfected form of construction of my invention this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise structure or form shown but 'desire to avail myself of such modifications or alterations as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is: I

1. In a game apparatus: a cabinet including a member providing a ball playing surface; a ramp or runway in said cabinet for conducting or guiding balls onto said playing surface; means for propelling balls one at a time along said ramp onto'said playing surface; a member movably mounted in said cabinet above said ramp or runway and including portions extending angularly relative to and from each other; means normally urgingsaid member into'a position to dispose one of the said portions thereof in a position above said rampand out of the path of a ball propelled therealong by said propelling means while at the same time positioning the other of the said portions of said member in a downwardly extending position in said runway so that the same may be engaged by a ball propelled along said ramp by said propelling means; said member, when engaged by a ball propelled along said runway by said propelling means, being pivoted, against the action of said urging means, in a said first-named one of the said portions thereof in a downwardly exextending substantially right angularly from each other; means normally urging said member into a position to dispose one of the said portions of said member in said opening and above said runway while at the same time positioning the other of the said portions of said member in a downwardly extending position in said runway so that the latter may be engaged by a ball traveling therealong; said member, when engaged by a ball traveling along said runway in one direction, being pivoted, against the action of said urging means, in a direction to dispose the said first-named portion of said member in a downwardly extending position in said runway so that the same may be engaged by a ball traveling therealong; said member, when engaged by a ball traveling along said' runway in a direction opposite to the said first-named direction, being pivoted, against the action of said urging means, in a direction to move the said one portion of said member into said opening and out of said runway.

3.'A device of the character described, comprising: a member adapted to be mounted in a ball runway of a game apparatus or the like and including portions extending angularly relative to and from each other; means normally urging said member, when in position of use, into a position to dispose one of the said portions of said member in a position out of the path of a ball traveling along said runway while at the same time positioning the other of the said portions of said member in said runway so that the latter may be engaged by a ball traveling therealong; said member, when engaged by a ball traveling along said runway in one direction, being pivoted, against the action of said urging means, in a direction to dispose the said firstnamed one portion of said member in said run- Way so that the same may be engaged by a ball travelingtherealong. MYER GENSBURG.- 

